Four people, including two teenagers, have been killed after a train collided with a school bus in the Belgian town of Buggenhout, Transport Minister Jean-Luc Crucke says.<\/p>\n
Two other people were also severely injured, Mr Crucke told RTL TV.<\/p>\n
Nine people were on the minibus at the time of the accident, including a driver, an attendant and seven children, local police said.<\/p>\n
According to Belgian public broadcaster VRT the accident happened at a level crossing in Vierhuizen around 8am local time.<\/p>\n
Initial reports suggested the level crossing was closed at the time of the accident.<\/p>\n
“Footage shows that the barriers were down and the traffic lights were red,” said Thomas Baeken, a spokesperson for the Belgian rail track operator Infrabel.<\/p>\n
“We do not know how the accident could have happened. That is for the police and the public prosecutor’s office to investigate.”<\/p>\n
Belgian police said the impact of the collision was “extremely violent”.<\/p>\n
“It happened at around 8:08am when a minibus was struck by a train that was due to stop at the next station, which was about a kilometre away,” said spokesman Frederic Sacre.<\/p>\n
No passengers on the train were injured, Belgian newspaper L’Avenir reported.<\/p>\n
Around 100 passengers were on the train, all of whom have been evacuated, VRT reported.<\/p>\n
The country’s interior minister, Bernard Quintin, called the collision “a tragic accident” in a post on X.<\/p>\n
“With great dismay I learnt of the tragic accident in Buggenhout, where a school bus was struck by a train. My thoughts go out to the victims and their loved ones. I wish the injured much strength,” Mr Quintin wrote.<\/p>\n
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